A social media post claiming all EF schools in China were about to close and asking parents to provide their bank account details went viral in June, according to English language publication That’s mags.
The notice, dated July 15th, stated that, due to poor trading conditions, the company had “taken the difficult decision to close”. Students and their families were advised to contact an account on social media giant WeChat to arrange refunds. Many big language school chains, including Wall Street English and New Oriental, shut their language schools last year following a government ban on extracurricular English classes for under 16s.
EF, which largely operates through franchise branches, often in lower-tier cities not yet covered by the ban, has survived – and is still going strong. A notice on the Swedish-owned company’s official Chinese WeChat site made this clear on June 24th. Parents who had responded to the scammer’s post – which was headed by the company logo, but carried an incorrect company stamp, or chop – were advised to contact the police. The Ministry of Public Security is said to be investigating.
